You could choose any number of marquee dilemmas to illustrate how broken congressional politics has become. Guns, Russian interference, climate change — Americans want progress on all of them and get little from Capitol Hill. But to my mind, nothing illustrates the dire state of our politics better than how we act on the federal budget. This is not a glamorous issue, but it … [Read more...]

Call me a contrarian. Or even a Pollyanna. But when everyone around me is filled with gloom and despair, seeing dire portents in every political headline, I try to find trends that encourage me. And I’m finding them. It could be that my hopes outrun the realities. But I’m guardedly optimistic that’s not the case. If there’s a single theme that ties them together, it seems to … [Read more...]

Because we live in such tumultuous political times, it’s easy to believe that today’s intense public focus on the Trump presidency is something new — an obsession like none we’ve ever seen before. Yet to one degree or another, the president has always been at the center of the public’s attention. This is because he or she is the central actor in American government. The sheer … [Read more...]

This may seem odd, but as I look ahead to a year we all know will be momentous, you want to know what I feel most strongly? Gratitude. I’ll tell you in a moment how much work we have ahead of us to strengthen our country. But I’m mindful of just how strong we already are. A resilient economy has been performing well for several years now, avoiding both rampant inflation and … [Read more...]

This was an interesting year that’s just passed, wasn’t it? And here’s the thing: I suspect 2018 will be just as intriguing. Let’s start with some good news. The economy had a good year in 2017, seeing overall growth, subdued inflation, progress on wages, and even some signs that economic growth is reaching the poor. The question is whether this can continue. For one thing, … [Read more...]

The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are, “We the People.” The Constitution itself, our institutions of government, the democratic process — all were established to give Americans a voice in their own governance. We are still striving to make that vision real for all, but we are closer than ever. So let me ask you some questions about Congress today. Do you think … [Read more...]

One of the quirks of life in Washington, D.C., is that pretty much the only people who don’t refer to lobbyists by that name are, well, lobbyists. They’re “policy advisors,” or “strategic counsel,” or “public relations advisors,” or lawyers, or even just “consultants.” Whatever they’re called, though, they play a huge role in making policy. For the most part, they are able, … [Read more...]

As Republicans in Congress move forward on their tax plan, it’s worth remembering one thing: whatever the legislative particulars, keep your eye on the plan’s impact on the federal debt. Our debt load is already worrisome. It’s almost certainly going to get worse. There are a lot of different ways to characterize our fiscal situation at the federal level. We spend too much. … [Read more...]

One of the gifts of living in a representative democracy is that voting is only one of the rights it confers. For ordinary people who want to make change — who in some way want to alter their neighborhood or town or state or even the nation — the promise exists that by dint of their own efforts they can do so. This is a precious gift. But it is not an easy one to enjoy. Even … [Read more...]

I’ve been reminded recently of the old cowboy song, Home on the Range. You know the line, “Where never is heard a discouraging word”? That is not the United States right now. It feels like pretty much everywhere I turn, all I hear is discouragement. Our institutions of government are paralyzed. We face serious national problems with no effective response in sight — or even, in … [Read more...]